Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Sorry it's been awhile since our last post. Been way too hard at work. It's a shame there's no documentation or representation from us here at The Beardown for this momentous Arizona season we're in the middle of. But I've decided to give those around the Pac-10 a look at what's left and how your team can make it to the Grand Daddy of them all on New Years.

After Oregon's decimation of the Trojans at Autzen there are only two teams left writing their own tickets to Pasadena and remarkably, USC is not one of them. So let's take a look at the whole conference break down.

Oregon - With a 5-0 Pac record, if the Ducks win out they're in. Simple as that. But if the Ducks win out, the Hawkeyes drop a late game, Texas slips up in the latter half of the Big XII race Oregon will actually have a shot at the National Title game this year seeing as how Florida and Alabama will have to play each other in the Conference Championship game down the road. The Ducks are still in the driver's seat if they go 3-1 as long as that one loss isn't to Arizona. If the Ducks do lose to Arizona they will need the Cats to drop another conference game (@ USC most likely) to regain the lead in the Conference of Champions. The bottom line is all signs point to Oregon's appearance in the Rose Bowl this season. The Ducks are the only team remaining in the conference that can still lose 2 games (of their remaining 4) and still have a chance to smell the Roses. But at that point there are a lot of ifs being thrown in.

Arizona - The Cats are the only other team that can write up their own ticket to the Big Game. While the National Championship is out of their grasp, the Rose Bowl certainly is not. If not for a terrible call bad bounce in the Washington game Arizona would be much more comfortable going forward. But either way if the Cats win out it would give them a 8-1 record in Pac Play with the tie-breaker over Oregon to send them, and legions of UA Faithful to Southern California for New Years. The Cats are the only team left in the Conference that still have 5 games left of the schedule so winning out is a slightly more difficult task. Also adding difficulty is the fact that Arizona still has Cal, Oregon, USC, and a nothing to lose ASU team left on their schedule. If the Cats don't win out they will still have Roses in their grasp but it will take wins over Cal, Oregon, and USC and it will take Oregon dropping at least 2 of their remaining 4. In which case Arizona and Oregon will each have 2 losses and Arizona will hold the tiebreaker. There's always the chance that if Arizona does go 4-1 and their lone loss is to Oregon that they will play in the Rose Bowl while Oregon plays for the National Championship.USC - For the first time in a long time USC has a lot of ground to make up to play at home on January 1st. USC has to win out, but even if they win out Oregon will still have the tie breaker. With 2 losses already in Conference Play, in order for USC to go to the Rose Bowl Oregon will need to nosedive and lose 3 of their remaining 4 games AND Arizona will have to drop an additional game beyond the USC game. While I wouldn't say it safe to count them out, they've got a long way to go. They too could benefit if Oregon wins out and Arizona drops 2 of their remaining 5 (as long as one of those losses is at the hands of USC). But that's only if Oregon does manage to make it to the National Championship Game. Something I'm sure Boise State fans would be unhappy about.

Stanford - While currently unranked the Cardinals are not completely out of the Rose Bowl picture. They've still got USC and Oregon on their schedule heading forward. If Stanford wins out they'll have a 7-2 Conference Record and the tie breakers over Oregon and USC. But they too would need Oregon to drop 2 of their remaining 4 (including their need to beat the Ducks at home this week) and they would need Arizona to lose 3 of their remaining 5. Not likely.

California - Cal currently has 2 conference losses so winning out is pretty much their only option at this point. Winning out would include giving Arizona their 2nd conference loss and possession of a Tiebreaker there and it would also give Stanford its 3rd loss effectively eliminating them from contention. But too many things are out of their hands since they already have losses to USC and Oregon. If Cal can win out they would still need USC to drop 1 game and Oregon to drop 3 of their remaining 4. Somehow I don't see that happening.

Oregon State - The Beavers are on the outside looking in right now. They already have 2 losses in the Pac at the hands of Arizona and USC. So winning out is only half of the puzzle. Similarly to Cal and Stanford, for Oregon State to go to the Rose Bowl they will need USC to drop another game and Oregon to drop 3 of 4. In their case unlike Cal and Stanford, they still have Oregon on the schedule and could give the Ducks 1 of 3 losses they need to advance.

For Arizona State and Washington there are way too many ifs for them to need in order to go to the Rose Bowl and I wouldn't be surprised if Arizona State doesn't get another win this season and Washington limps to the finish with their lone remaining win over Washington State. Washington's only chance is for a lot of things to go their way since they have Tiebreakers over Arizona AND USC.

UCLA and Washington State have both been mathematically eliminated from the Rose Bowl. UCLA would need to win out to get to ANY bowl and WAZZU has been mathematically eliminated from ALL Bowls already.

Don't be surprised if Kirk and Corso are hanging around Dirtbags or Trident in a couple weeks as that Arizona vs. Oregon Game on the 21st could very well be a major determining factor in the Pac-10 Champion. And we all remember what happened last time a highly ranked (#2) Oregon played at Arizona Stadium with the ESPN Cameras on the field.

Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Over the last two days ESPN's The Sports Guy a.k.a. Bill Simmons has been using quotes from one of his, and my, all-time favorite movies Almost Famous to describe the NBA offseason. I thought this was a great idea. In fact I almost did it last year when breaking down the Arizona Football season Preview, but due to time constraints held back and simply titled the post "Eff it Dude, Let's Go Bowling". Well I decided to pick up where I, and Simmons left off, and give you Arizona's offseason wrap-up/Arizona Season Preview for the 2009 season.

"You must be here to fix the cable.Lord. You can imagine where it goes from here.He fixes the cable?Don't be fatuous, Jeffrey"

This goes to the U of A and IMG Academies for kicking Fox Sports Arizona out of Arizona Stadium for the upcoming seasons. Let's face it, FSN-Arizona has pretty much been FSN-Phoenix for awhile. And there were more than a few Arizona Football games I listened to on the radio with CBS Sports.com open to review the play by play. While it will definitely get a bit confusing, at lease the cable has been fixed and we should get more Arizona games here in town.

"Are they gonna hurt us, Walter?No, Donny. These men are cowards."This one goes out to the Arizona State Sun Devils. The punchless scummies up in Tempe are cowards. And unlike in 2006 and 2007 when they beat us to keep us out of a bowl game, 2008 was the opposite. They can't hurt us anymore, and they won't this year.

"Dude, this is a league game, this determines who enters the next round robin. Am I wrong? Am I wrong?" December 5, 2009 your Arizona Wildcats will travel to Hollywood to play the Trojans in the Colosseum. The Stoops era has been marked by close losses and huge upsets. Both of which apply to the recent past while facing USC. Arizona has a habit of showing up big and playing the Men of Troy close. There are many pundits out there expecting a down year for the Cats due to the losses of Money Mike T and Tui. The Cats though have a taste of success and a Bowl Game. The Cats aren't winning the Pac this year and aren't heading to the Rose Bowl unless a lot of lucky bounces come their way. But they very easily could be coming into the final game of the season needing a win to clinch a Bowl Berth as has been the case the last three years. This is a league game, this could make or break the Cats season.

"I f--k you in the ass next Wednesday instead. Wooo! You got a date Wednesday, baby!"

This goes out to the #3 or #4 Big12 team. The Cats played in the Las Vegas Bowl last year, but I don't think I'm alone in wishing that they had played in a slightly more prestigious bowl. How about gunning for the Holiday Bowl this year. The Holiday Bowl is the place for the #2 Pac-10 Team, or the #3 Pac-10 team if the #1 Pac-10 team is in the National Championship. The Holiday Bowl takes place on Wednesday, December 30th this year.

"Yeah, well, you know, that's just, like, your opinion, man."This one goes out to the folks who call themselves Football prognosticators. Ted Miller at ESPN.com, the folks in the Pac-10 Media Poll, Jon Wilner, and everyone else out there who pick Arizona to finish low and have a down year. While they all have arguments that hold some water, namely missing Tui, Thomas, Britton, and Palmer, I don't think the Cats are taking a step back this year. They might not be in the Rose Bowl, but they aren't missing the Bowl season this year either.

"I'm throwing rocks tonight. Mark it, Dude."

Matt Scott, Nick Foles, or Bryson Beirne. Time will only tell which one will be under center against Central Michigan. I for one hope whoever takes the reigns performs because nothing destroys a football team and football season like a revolving door at the Quarterback position. When I was a Freshman I got to see 4 different QBs start for the 2 win football team. From my understanding Beirne has the best understanding of the system, Foles has the best accuracy and arm strength, Scott has a the most game experience and the most options. All three are neck and neck and neck heading into fall practices. My pick is Scott. He's got a decent arm and some wheels, and with some question marks on the line, specifically with a new guy guarding his blind side replacing Eben Britton, a QB with some ability to run and create might just be the best option for the Cats this season.

"Lebowski: Not a man, a way of life.

This one needs to be tweaked a little bit. Gronkowski: Not a man, a way of life. Big Freak, and to a lesser extent Chris Gronkowskit a.k.a. TOG (The Other Gronkowski) are Arizona's best chances for this season. The Cats will go only so far as the Gronkowski Brothers will take them. Chris gives them plenty of options from 2nd TE, to FB, and H-Back, he led the team in YPC last season and had 3 TDs on 8 catches. And Rob, we all know Rob's numbers 10 TDs on 47 catches, oh and he missed the first 3 games where the Cats put up ridiculous numbers.

Well that's about it for right now. We're less than 40 days from kick off against Central Michigan and their top dog Dan LeFevour. It should be a fun season, and I'm sure you'll see and hear more form us regarding the Cats and College Football in general over the next few weeks.

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Tim Floyd is resigning from USC, and I for one couldn't be happier. I hated him while losing as the Bulls coach, hated him more when he was winning at USC, and was about to blow a gasket when he was hired by U of A. One problem, he was never hired by U of A, and the fact that Tim Pink Floyd thought he was too good for Arizona made it even worse. It was my lowest moment as a fan of the U. Lower than the Mackovic error of the early century. So....

With the news that Coach Pink is out at USC, there is no doubt in my mind that at least 2 if not all 4 of these players will be back on the market. Williams and Jones have both signed Official Letters of Intent, but even before news came that Floyd was resigning both were pondering their options as Summer classes have gotten underway. Franklin and Polee are only verbal commits so I'm pretty sure that they will probably open their recruitment up as well.

What does this mean for the U of A? Well, Jones was on Coach Sean Miller's radar from the second he stepped foot in Tucson, but it seemed too little too late as Jones had pretty much made up his mind. But now with the coaching change is there a chance that LaMont a.k.a MoMo will open his recruiting back up? We'll have to wait and see but I'm sure Coach Miller and his staff are already circling. I'm sure that playing at Point Guard U, for a Point Guard Coach, and getting to get his feet wet under, most likely, the best Point Guard in the Pac-10 might all be nice little recruiting tools to get MoMo interested in Tucson once again.

Williams on the other hand was weighing a couple of other Pac-10 schools, but was settled on the Trojans very early on. Will he land in Washington or Tempe? We'll probably have to wait and see. One only wonders just how much contact Williams and Jones have had. If those two have formed any kind of bond, there's always a chance they could defect together. Most schools have formally wrapped up their 2009 recruiting, but Coach Miller has yet to announce his official recruiting class. Some suspect he was waiting on word from Lance Stephenson and his pending court trial. We all know that With Chase and Jordan leaving, Zane transferring, and a handful of non existent recruiting classes, there are more than a few scholarships sitting on Miller's desk at the McKale Center.

If the Cats can manage to get one or both of these recruits away from USC, assuming they are let out of their Letters of Intent, then U of A is not only looking at staying afloat in the Pac-10, but will have skipped the rebuilding stage we all feared and gone straight into Reload Mode. Now don't get me wrong, we'll be lucky to get a 26th straight NCAA tourney berth this year, but with USC no doubt slipping, Cal and Washington being the only two real class programs in the Pac-10, Arizona is looking at a solid opportunity to be a top 4 team this year and have a talented crop of guys going into the following year.

Arizona's already gotten one USC defect (Soloman Hill) since Miller took over and maybe with a couple lucky bounces 2010-2011 could go from being year 2 of the Miller rebuild, to year 1 of the New Wildcat Dynasty with a young core of Sophomores Krylla K, Kevin Parrom, Hill, Jones?, Williams?, Juniors Fogg, Jacobson, and Lavendar, and Senior Jamelle Horne. And I'm sure Coach Miller is eyeing Franklin and Polee already.

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Everything can be explained with a curse these days, so here's the first in a "However-Many-I-Decide-To-Do" Series, of current (real or imagined) sports curses. Check back for more over the coming days and weeks as time permits.

LeBron got bounced from the Eastern Conference Finals on Saturday and it got me thinking, shouldn't the team with the best player and coach be in the NBA Finals? Absolutely they should, but that's a different article for another time/probably has already been written about on countless Cleveland, Orlando, Los Angeles, et. al. blogs around the 'sphere. Anyway I was sitting with my Pops on Monday and I started to run down the list of recent NBA MVP's who failed to win the Finals. Lebron in '09, Kobe in '08, Dirk in '07, Nash in '05 and '06. So we're 0-fer the last 5 at least.

Pops said the last was probably Duncan, but I thought it was Shaq. Note to self, Pops is usually right. Tim Duncan of the San Antonio Spurs was the last NBA MVP to win the NBA Finals back in 2003, Shaq was a close second having done it in 2000. So I decided to do some research, the quick numbers.

In The Last....5 Years: The NBA MVP has not won the Finals and only Kobe last year was a losing participant in the series.

10 Years: Only 2 of the NBA MVPs have gone on to win the Larry O'Brien Trophy. Of the 10 winners only 4 have even been in the finals. That's a 20% chance of the MVP winning and a 40% chance of being in the Finals.

25 Years: 9 NBA MVPs have become World Champions and 14 have made it to the Finals. The list of MVPs to win is:

It's interesting to note that Jordan is the only one in the last 25 years with multiple Finals appearances as the MVP never to lose in the Finals, but he was the MVP in 1988 when Chicago failed to reach the Finals, and yes there is a bit of homerism in bringing up that unnecessary statistic.

In The First....

5 Years: The NBA MVP was in the Finals twice (Bob Cousy in '57 and Bill Russell in '58). Cousy was the only won to win the MVP and the NBA Finals.

10 Years: The NBA MVP was in the Finals 6 Times (Cousy - '57, Russell in '58, '61, '62, '63, and '65) and won 5 of the 6 times (Russell in '58 was the only loss).

25 Years: There were 11 times that the NBA MVP was in the Finals and 9 times he came away victorious. Those 9 were:

Only 3 players have won 3 in a row (Russell - '61-'63, Chamberlain - '66-'68, and Bird - '84-'86) and only 6 players have won 2 in a row (Kareem - '71-'72 and '76-'77, Moses - '82-'83, Magic - '89-'90, Jordan - '91-'92, Duncan '02-'03, and Nash '05-'06) with Kareem being the only player in NBA History to win 2 in a row, twice.

So relax, Lebron, take a few days to recover from your dental surgery, ignore the ringing phone, you'll most likely get another shot at the Finals and you can make it to the list of other greats who have won the MVP, won the Finals, and failed to make it in separate seasons. They are:

Wilt Chamberlain (missed Finals in '66 and '68 as MVP, won Finals in '67 as MVP)Kareem Abdul-Jabbar (won Finals in '71 and '80 as MVP, missed Finals in '72, '76, and '77 as MVP)Moses Malone (missed Finals in '79 and '82 as MVP, won Finals in '83 as MVP)Magic Johnson (won Finals in '87 as MVP, missed Finals in '90 as MVP)Michael Jordan (missed Finals in '88 as MVP, won Finals in '91, '92, '96, and '98 as MVP)Tim Duncan (missed Finals in '02 as MVP, won Finals in '03 as MVP)

Thursday, May 7, 2009

I guess we all owe Manny an apology. He didn't test positive for steroids or it's cousin HGH, it was hCG, or Human Choloronic Gonadatropin. He is not trying to get an edge on the rest of the baseball world he just wants to be a mommy. Newest reports are that he tested positive for the woman's fertility drug. Either he wants to become pregnant or he's using the substance to jump start his testosterone production after the end of a steroid cycle. After the cycle has finished the body isn't able to regulate the normal testosterone levels pre-cycle and the hCG is used to jump start the bodies natural test production. It's nice to know that the best right handed batter of our time goes to the same OBGYN as Kate Gosselin when he needs a fix.More after the jump...

So much for that hot LA Dodgers 2009 start. Go ahead and slap a big fat asterisk on that record breaking streak. A-Roid has a new friend in the steroid spotlight. Meet Man-Roid, or Manny Roidmirez, or Manny being Positive. Either way you write it the Dodgers Outfielder and prolific hitter has apparently popped positive for PEDs and will be suspended 50 games. Five Oh. We'll keep you posted.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

It has been a busy day in the world of Wildcat athletics. Today was marked by one subtraction and one addition from our Wildcat family.

We'll start with the subtraction. Junior SF Zane Johnson has decided to transfer from the U of A. Indications out of the AD's office are that his request will be granted. Zane seems to be reacting to the writing on the wall with regards to his playing time. The Basket Cats signed Solomon Hill and are heavily recruiting Kevin Parrom both SF prospects from the class of 2009. Combined with the future recruiting outlook and Johnson could clearly see that his opportunities for playing time were quickly disappearing. While any loss is a bad thing for our teams depth next year this particular development is not very detrimental overall.

In more positive news the Football team landed a commitment from class of 2010 QB Matt Brown out of Allen, TX. Brown is considered one of the top dual threat QB's in Texas. Brown has been high on the Cats for a while and decided to pull the trigger last night while watching the NBA Playoffs. According to an interview with goazcats.com (rivals) Brown said, "I knew it was the place all along, I was holding out because I wanted to see what else happened and then I was watching a basketball game last night and just figured, 'why not?'" On behalf of the Wildcat fans all over the world, we here at TheBearDown welcome Matt and look forward to seeing him lighting up the opposition defense some day under the lights of Arizona stadium.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Many thoughts spring to the top of my head on the heels of this weekends NFL Draft. This was supposed to be one of the best drafts in recent Arizona history. There were 6 legitimate Arizona Alums poised to hear their name called, with the majority of the 6 hoping for Day 2 call-ups PLUS the possibility of Arizona Power Forward, Fendi Onobun a.k.a Fen-Diesel making it a total of 7 possible Arizona draft picks.

But alas Junior Tackle Eben Britton actually slipped to the second round to the Jaguars due to footwork issues despite his size and "tremendous upside", I hate the phrase as much as you do. Eben was the only name called on day one and swore to avenge the slip against every team that passed on him. Atta boy EB.

All-Time Pac-10 WR record holder Mike Thomas slipped a bit to the 4th round despite many thinking he was a sure thing 3rd rounder. But the 4th round pick landed him in Florida alongside Eben for a reunion. Interesting side note this was the 7th time that two Arizona players were drafted by the same pro team since 1990. See Box at Right

But that was it for ringing phones on Sunday and there were more than a few Cats sitting on the sideline with questions remaining. So we'll try to keep you up to date. Updates will come so check back often. Remember each team will usually wind up signing between 5-15 Undrafted Free Agents to take roster spots going into training camps and practice squads. Among the possibilities:QB: Willie Tuitma - NFL size and arm strength, sometimes labeled as a system Quarterback Tui rewrote the Arizona record books in his 3.5 years here as a starter. A DUI arrest in the weeks leading up to the draft almost assuredly knocked his name off a few possible draft boards but don't be surprised to see him show up on someones off season roster. Possible candidates include Denver, Chicago, Detroit, and anyone else looking for a back-up QB.

LB: Ronnie Palmer - Sources say that Palmer has already inked a 3 year deal with the Washington Redskins. Congratulations are in order for Ronnie following in the footsteps of other UA alums to head to the Nations capital.

DB: Nate Ness - There have been some rumblings that Nasty Nate is vying for a roster spot somewhere out there but nothing has been finalized yet. Don't be surprised to see Nate lining up somewhere in the preseason, there are more than a few teams with secondary issues. UPDATED: Ness signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns.

DB: Marquis Hundley - Hundley enjoyed his first season as a Starter in 2008 and grabbed 4 picks. Decent size and great athleticism should find him a spot in offseason workouts. UPDATED: Hundley signed on with the St. Louis Rams.

K: Jason Bondzio - Arizona's most accurate kicker of all time held out hope for a late round selection yesterday, but alas no call was made. Kickers are a commodity in the NFL and they can almost always find a tryout. There are only 32 openings for a kicker in the NFL so even if Bondzio can't ink a deal by the start of the season, there will always be an opening after a kicker starts slow. Bet on it.

OG: Joe Longacre - Longacre was a rock on the Arizona Offensive Line during the Mike Stoops tenure even though players were missing time left and right. He's a mammoth of a man, but lacks many of the needs to play at the next level. Might wind up on a practice squad somewhere.

DB: Adrian McCovy - Coming off his best season McCovy can only hope for the best. He's got the athleticism and came up with 4 picks this year, but if he sees action, it will probably come on a practice squad this year.

OT: James Thretheway - With only one year of starting on the line under his belt, it would be a bit of a reach for most NFL teams. He's got the size, but don't expect to see him on Sundays.

PF: Fendi Onobun - Could he possibly be the next Antonio Gates? At least 3 teams think so as they were able to bring him in for some workouts. Fen-Diesel was told by former Coach Kevin O-Neil NOT to hit the weights, he was already too big. He's got the athleticism and size of a good blocking TE and could develop the hands to match. It's too bad the former forward on the hardwood won't get a chance to take the field as a Kitty Kat because of a lack of scholarships. But who knows, maybe one of the incoming scholarship players won't make the grades and there will be a letter with his name on it from Mike Stoops.More after the jump...

Monday, April 20, 2009

In response to their 0-16 season the Detroit Lions have decided to have a new look for the franchise. After seeing how the Arizona Cardinals were able to turn things around with a new logo, the Lions have decided to follow suit. The 2009 Detroit Lions will take the field with this as their new logo:But this wasn't the first choice of the head honchos in Motor City. Other logos were presented at Lion HQ that were ultimately turned down for one reason or another. I have been given access to these images. Your 2009 Detroit Lions?More after the jump...

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

As previously discussed in the recruiting prospectus Coach Miller will something you hear shouted a lot this season at the Wildcat practices. It seems as though the entire coaching staff has now been set. Archie Miller, Ohio State assistant coach and brother of Arizona head coach Sean Miller, is expected to leave Ohio St. to take the same position on his brother Sean's staff at according to a source. Sean Miller, who left Xavier for the head coaching job at Arizona last week and took two assistants with him, had been keeping a job open for a third former Xavier assistant, Chris Mack, if Mack was not hired as his successor. But Mack will be announced today as Xavier's new head coach, according to reports. Archie Miller was coach Thad Matta's top assistant this past season at Ohio St.

This is big news for Arizona as Archie Miller is viewed as one of the top recruiters in the nation. It also seems to be be the death knell for TheBearDown favorite and all-time great Reggie Geary. Here's hoping that recently promoted Josh Pastner has Reggie Geary's phone number on speed dial.

We will continue to keep you posted on the developments in and around McKale as they happen.